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SHOE MACHINE Filed May 5, 1958 1-0 Sheets-Sheet 10 Patented Nov. 21, 1939 i i v I 2 1 3 1 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFEQE SHOE MACHINE Herbert J; Willmott, Beverly, Mass, assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. 3., aoorporation of New Jersey Application May 5, 1938, Serial No. 206,207

41 Claims. (01. 12-7) The present invention relates to machines for conjunction with upper-shaping members which use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and act on the lasting margin at opposite sid'esfof is herein illustrated as embodied in a machine the upper adjacent to the end-engaging members. constructed and arranged to stretch and shape The illustrated side-engaging members are prewelted uppers over lasts and to position preconstructed and arranged to engage the sole- 5 Welted uppers on their lasts preparatory to the attaching face of the welt. During their inward final lasting operation which positions the welted movement over the last bottom the side enga'ging margin of the upper for the reception of an ou members move lengthwise of the last away from sole. The operation performed on prewelted that end of the upper on which the end-en'ga'g- 0 uppers by machines of this type is commonly ing members operate thereby to obviate the forreferred to as the pulling over operation, but mation of wrinkles or pockets between the endit will be understood that this operation is disengaging members and the side-engaging memtinctly different from the pulling over operation hers and also to assist in working the upper performed on other types of shoes. Machines of over the lastin the most approved manner. In 15 this type are illustrated in United States Letters accordance with a further feature of the inven- Patent No. 2,081,228, granted May 25, 1937, on tion the machine is provided with means for first an application of Karl Engel and in an applica operating the end-engaging members and there'- tion for United States Letters Patent Serial No. after operating the side-engaging members. in 152,765, filed on July 9, 1937, in the name of the illustrated organization the sideengaging.

Charles A. Robinson. members act on the lasting margin of the upper 20 In the operation of machines such as that illuafter the end-engaging members have first strated in the Engel patent above referred to a worked the lasting margin lengthwise of the last prewelted upper off its last is supported in insomewhat and completed a substantial part of verted position by a series of upstanding memtheir operative movement. This order of operabers which engage the upper-attaching face of tion of the upper-shaping members obviates the 5 upper. Said end-engaging members operate in the end portion of the upper in response to ththe Welt, a last is forced into the supported upper formation of wrinkles or bunches at the sides of while fingers extending upwardly from the intethe upper between the toe-engaging members rior of the forepart of the upper guide the last and the side-engaging members and promotes a d Spread t uppe for t ecep on. an afte proper distribution of the lasting margin about no the last has been depress d into the pp a p the end portion of the last. In accordance with 0 rality of e s e a th sole-attac ing face another feature of the invention the end-engagof the welt and bend the welted margin of the ing upper-shaping members are mounted on a upper over the last bottom or over an insole carrier and connections are provided between the thereon. end-engaging members and the carrier con- It is an object of the present invention to structed and arranged to permit said members provide an improved organization of welt-engagto yield independently of each other and to difing members which Will Operate fi tly a ferent extents in response to the resistance of reliably and will not create wrinkles, pockets or t wo to the operation f said members n bunches the welhed margin of the 1 2 ing the advancement of the carrier. This con-- -.'i) i thls P P m new, i F of the struction and arrangement of the end-engaging 40 F conslsts Y Provlslcn h members enabies them to operate on both right of uppelf'shagmg means herfem i hand left uppers without adjustment. As herein zi g lgg i ggg fi tgg f gfig figifiig?Z; illustrated, the carrier for the end-engaging 5 portion of an upper and to move inwardly Over gnembers is constructed and arranged for rect1- 4 the bottom of a last in the upper While simultamear F toward.and f C ne'ously moving away from each other to tension f Shoe upper m the machmshnu theend-engagthe lasting margin between them and thus to mg members are mounted on the carrier for in- Obviate the occurrence f a pocket or Wrinkle dependent movements relatively to the carrier 53 between said members as they move inwardly in curved paths extending about the end 9 over the last bottom. The illustrated end engag- 0f e pp d th y a e e d at the limit of ing members in the course of their operation e r movement toward each other on. the car'- move away from each other in curved paths ex-' rier by yielding means Which permits said memtending about the end portion of the supported bers to m'oveindepen'dently of each other about resistance of the upper to the advancement of the members by the carrier.

In another aspect the invention consists in the provision in a prewelt shoe machine of means, herein illustrated as upstanding members, for supporting an inverted preweltcd upper by engagement with the upper-attaching face of the welt, upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to engage the sole-attaching face of the welt and to work the welted margin over a last in the upper, means for operating said uppershaping members, and means for moving the upper-supporting members downwardly in predetermined time relation tothe operation of said upper-shaping members thereby to disengage the upper from said upper-shaping members be fore they are retracted. Thus the upper-shaping members are out of contact with the welt during their retraction and consequently said members do not tend to dislocate the welted margin of the upper by reason of frictional engagement therewith as they retract. In order to insure the downward movement of the upper away from the upper-shaping members means is provided for positively moving the upper downwardly with the work-supporting assembly, said means in the illustrated machine being the depressor which forces the last into the supported upper.

For holding an insole against the last bottom there is provided, in accordance with a further feature of the invention, an insole holddown mounted on a carrier which is held against upward movement relatively to the carrier for the last depressor by a latch, and means for unlatching the insole holddown carrier and thereafter moving it relatively to the carrier for the last depressor thereby to move the insole holddown upwardly away from the last. In the illustrated machine the means for moving the insole holddown upwardly away from the last bottom is made positive in order to overcome any resistance offered by the welted margin of the upper to upward movement of the insole holddown. In the illustrated machine, the insole holddown is moved upwardly away from the last bottom after the welted margin has been advanced over the margin of the insole suficiently to cause the welted margin itself to hold the insole against the last bottom after the holddown is retracted.

In order to permit manual operation upon the shoe at an intermediate stage in the machine cycle a stop member is provided, which member operates directly on an assembly of cams which actuate certain operating parts of the machine, and for retracting said stop member to permit the cycle of operations of the cam assembly to be completed the machine is provided with a member which is manually operable at the will of the operator.

For supporting the rear part of the upper after a last has been positioned therein the machine is provided with a clamp member herein illustrated as a resilient pad constructed and arranged for frictional engagement with the rear part of the upper to grip it against the last. In the illustrated machine the clamp member is operated by the same actuator which operates the last depressor and the insole holddown.

In accordance with a further feature of the invention the upper-supporting means includes two members constructed and arranged to engage the upper-attaching face of the welt at opposite sides of the upper, and base members for said work-supporting members constructed and arranged to be readily removed from the machine prior to operating on infants shoes which do not require said members for their support. As herein illustrated the base members for said work-supporting members are mounted on a table, and pin and slot connections are provided between the base members and the table constructed and arranged to permit the base members to be readily removed from the table but operable, nevertheless, to hold said supporting members in upper-supporting position against any force to which the supporting members are normally subjected in the operation of the machine.

These and other features of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the upper portion of a machine embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the upper portion of the machine in its rest position with parts broken away;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 3 taken at an intermediate stage in the machine cycle;

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the upper-supporting mechanism;

Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on the line VI-VI of Fig. 5;

Fig. '7 is a detail view in side elevation showing the upper-supporting and last-depressing mechanism, together with the insole holddown mechanism and the back rest for the last and upper;

Fig. 8 is a detail view in side elevation illustrating the upper-supporting and last-depressing mechanism, together with the insole holddown mechanism and certain operating parts as they appear near the end of the machine cycle;

Fig. 9 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the line IX-IX of Fig. 3;

Fig. 10 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the line XX of Fig. 3;

Fig. 11 is a detail view in side elevation illustrating certain operating parts including the last depressor and the insole holddown mechanism;

Fig. 12 is a sectional plan view taken substantially on the line XII-XII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 13 is a side elevation partly in section on the line XIII-XIII of Fig. 12

Fig. 14 is a detail plan view of the upper-shaping plates at the toe end of the shoe;

Fig. 15 is a detail view of one of the plates illustrated in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line XVIXVI of Fig. 12; and

Fig. 1'7 is a detail view in side elevation of the work-support in its lower position and mechanism which operates it.

The illustrated machine in its general organization and in many of its details of construction is substantially the same as the machine illustrated and described in the Robinson application above referred to. In common with the Robinson machine, the machine of the present invention is provided with work-supporting means comprising a plurality of resilient upstanding fingers 2!] (Fig. 1) constructed and arranged to engage the upper-attaching face of the welt of an inverted prewelted upper about the forepart of the upper, a plurality of last-guiding and upper-spreading members or fingers 22 constructed and arranged to move downwardly from their position in Fig. 1 into the interior of the supported upper, then outwardly against the inner surface of the welted margin of the upper, a last depressor 24 constructed and arranged to act on the forepart of a last, the rear part of which is positioned in the rear portion of the supported upper and the toe portion of which rests against the spreader fingers 22, and a pair of plates 2% constructed and arranged to engage the sole-attaching face of the welt about the forepart of the upper and to bend the welted margin over an insole on the last bottom. The plates 25 have teeth which grip the welt as the plates advance. As in the Robinson machine, the machine of the present invention is provided with means for holding the spreader fingers 22 contracted as shown in Fig. 5 during their downward movement into the upper comprising a plurality of abutment members or screws 28 constructed and arranged to engage bosses 3B projecting outwardly from thespreader fingers 22. The abutment screws 25 are adjustably mounted in a crosshead 32 and the spreader fingers 22 are mounted on a crosshead 35 positioned above the crosshead 32. The crosshead 36 is slidably mounted for vertical movement on fixed shafts 34 and 35 in the head of the machine and is provided with a downwardly extending sleeve 37 which provides a bearing for the crosshead on the shaft 35. The lower crossheacl 32 is slidably mounted on the shaft 3 and on the sleeve 31. Said crossheads are held together during the downward movement of the spreader fingers into the supported upper by spring 38 and in this relative position of the erossheads the abutment screws 28 are in engagement with the bosses 38 on the spreader fingers, as illustrated in Fig. l, and hold the spreader fingers in their contracted positions. The spreader assembly comprising the crossheads 32 and 3t and the spreader fingers 22 are held in their elevated positions illustrated in Fig. 1 by a spring 4! (Fig. 2) which operates on a lever 22 on a cross shaft it! the free end of which lever is connected to the lower crosshead 32 by a link 46. For moving the spreader assembly downwardly to position the fingers 22 in the supported upper the machine is provided with a treadle @8 which fulcrums at 53 in the base of the machine standard and is connected to the lever 42 by an extensible link 52 which has a pin and slot connection to the lever to permit the return of the treadle to its initial elevated position by a treadle spring 54 after the spreader assembly has been brought downwardly into the position shown in Fig. 2 and held in said position by a latch 55 comprising an L-shaped member pivoted at its elbow on a cross shaft 58. One arm of the latch member extends downwardly and is provided with a detent it which engages a roll 62 on the lever 32 while the horizontal arm of the latch member extends forwardly and is provided with a handle (it whereby the operator may disengage the latch member from the lever 42 to permit the spreader assembly to return to its elevated position in the event that the operator desires to relocate the upper on the work-supporting fingers 2&3 before proceeding further with the operation of the machine. As in the Robinson machine above referred to, the abutment screws 28 continue to move downwardly after the spreader fingers 22 have come to the limit of their downward movement, thereby moving said screws out of alinement with the bosses 38 on the spreader fingers and permitting the spreader fingers to spring outwardly against the inner surface of the welted margin of the upper. In the machine of the present invention the downward movement of the cross head 36 which carries the spreader fingers 22 is arrested by the engagement of a projection 66 (Fig. l)' on the crosshead 36 with an abutment member or nut 68 on a threaded rod it which is secured in bosses l2 projecting outwardly from themachine head. The nut 83 is held in its adjusted position on the rod ill by a spring-pressed pin Hi mounted in a radial socket in the nut and arranged to enter any one of a series of spaced longitudinal grooves provided in the threaded rod. It will be undcrstood that the spreader fingers 22 are positioned heightwise of the supported upper by the engagement of the projection ti? on the crosshead 36 with the abutment nut 68 and that this heightwise position of the spreader fingers may be varied by adjusting said nut. The spreader fingers may be contracted or expanded to adjust them to receive different sizes of lasts by advancing or retracting the abutment screws 28. For holding each of the abutment screws in adjusted position a spring-pressed detent 16 (Fig. 10) is freely mounted in a bore in the crosshead 32 and arranged to enter any one of a series'of spaced longitudinal grooves '58 in the abutmentscrew. In the operation of the machine the crosshead 32 which carries the abutment screws is positively drawn downwardly by the operation of the treadle id and the crosshead 36 which carries the fingers 22 moves downwardly with the crosshead 32 until the projection on the crosshead 35 engages the abutment nut 68. During the continued downward movement of the 32 thereafter the abutment screws 28 move downwardly off the bosses 343 on the spreader fingers 22 and the spreader fingers spring outwardly by their own resilience into engagement with the inner surface of the welted margin of the supported upper. The abutment nut 68 is so adjusted that the spreader fingers 22 come to rest with their lower ends just above the plane in which the exposed surface of the forepart of the insole on the last bottom will be located after the last has been fully depressed into the supported upper.

For holding the margin of the forepart of the insole against the last bottom during the depression of the last into the supported upper the illustrated machine is provided with an insole holddown comprising a series of resilient members or fingers 80 (Fig. 3) which are arranged to engage the margin of the forepart of the insole by contactwith the spreader fingers 22. The in- .sole holddown fingers 8flvmove downwardly with the depressor 2d while the last is forced into the upper and prevent the margin of the forepart of the insole from being lifted away from the last bottom by the engagement of the edge face of the insole with the spreader fingers 22 or by the engagement of the inner surface of the welted margin of the upper with the edge face of the insole while the welted margin is advanced inwardly over the insole. After the welted margin has been advanced far enough so that there is no further possibility of any lifting of the insole away from the last bottom the insole holddown fingers are retracted, but the last depressor 24 remains in engagement with the insole until the welted margin of the forepart of the upper has been laid fully over upon the margin of the insole. It will be understood that the latter part of the operation on the welted margin cannot be performed while the insole holddown members are in operative position.

The general organization of the last depressor and insole holddown are similar to the construction illustrated in the Robinson patent above referred to. Referring to Fig. 1, the insole holddown assembly is mounted on a vertical arm 82 secured to a crosshead 84 by a clamping screw 86 which extends through a slot 88 in the arm 82, this slot permitting a vertical adjustment of the insole holddown relatively to the last depressor to accommodate different last bottom contours. Referring to Fig. 3, the last depressor 24 is mounted on a vertical rod 90 secured to a crosshead 92 which is slidably mounted on the vertical shafts 34 and 35 (Fig. 1) and has an upwardly extending sleeve 93 which provides a bearing for the crosshead on the shaft 34. The crosshead 64 which carries the insole holddown arm 82 is slidably mounted on the vertical rod 90 which carries the last depressor and on the sleeve 93 (Fig. 9). The crosshead 92 which carries the" last depressor is moved downwardly by mechanism hereinafter described and the downward movement of the crosshead 92 moves the insole holddown fingers 86 carried by the crosshead 84 downwardly into the spreader fingers 22 through connections comprising a latch member 98 (Fig. 3) pivoted to the rear portion of the crosshead 84 and a rearward projection I02 of the lower crosshead 92 the bottom surface of which is engaged by a detent I00 of the latch member. The insole holddown assembly is drawn upwardly or retracted after the welted margin of the upper has been partially advanced over the insole and while the last depressor remains in its operative position. Such upward movement of the insole holddown assembly is effected by a spring I04 which extends from a pin at the lower extremity of the arm 82 to a pin at the upper extremity of the forward portion of the crosshead 92. The upward movement of the insole holddown assembly occurs during the operation of the weltgripping plates 26 after thelatch member 98 is retracted by mechanism hereinafter described.

Referring to Fig. 2, the operations of the machine beginning with the downward movement of the depressor and the insole holddown assembly are effected by depression of a treadle I06 which is fulcrumed at at the base of the machine standard and is connected by a link I08 to a rotary member IIO on a cross shaft H2. The member H0 has a radial arm II4 (Fig. 1'7) to which is pivoted one end of a link II6 which extends downwardly and toward the front of the machine and is pivoted at its lower end to the end of a radial arm II8 on a rotary cam carrier I20 on a cross shaft I22. The arms H4 and H8 are of the same length and are arranged parallel to each other in order to afford a parallel motion of the members H0 and I20 of about 90 by the depression of the treadle I06. Referring to Fig. 4, the cam carrier I20 has four discoidal cam members mounted thereon, one in front and three in back of the carrier, as seen in Fig. 4. These discoidal cam members are secured to the carrier I20 by clamping bolts I2I which extend through arcuate slots I23 provided in the cam members. These discoidal cam members have a double action the first part of which occurs during the depression of the treadle I06 which turns the cam assembly in a counterclockwise direction, as seen in Fig. 4, and the latter part of which occurs during the return of the treadle from its rest position by the spring I25 which turns the cam assembly in a clockwise direction and returns it to its rest position. For operating the depressor and the insole holddown as- 'sembly the cam carrier I20 carries a discoidal cam member I24 (Figs. 4 and 7) having a peripheral cam face I26 constructed and arranged to engage a roll I28 on a lever I30 mounted on the cross shaft 44 and extending in a curved path generally parallel to the bottom portion of the member I24. The link I32 connects the free end of the lever I30 to a rearward projection I34 of the crosshead 92 which carries the depressor. For retracting the latch member 98 to permit the insole holddown assembly to be retracted by the spring I04 another cam member I36 (Fig. 8) is mounted on the cam carrier I20 and is constructed and arranged to engage a roll I38 on a lever I40 mounted on the cross shaft 44 and arranged to extend in a curved path over the upper portion of the cam member I36. At the free end of the lever I40 there is pivoted a vertical rod or plunger I42 the upper portion of which extends into a longitudinal bore in a rod I44 which is pivoted at its upper end to the latch member 98. The plunger I42 carries an adjustable abutment member or nut I46 which engages the lower end face of the rod I44 and lifts it to retract the latch 98, whereupon the spring I04 retracts the insole holddown assembly unless the frictional resistance of the upper to upward movement of the insole holddown fingers B0 is too great for the spring to overcome. In this event the continued upward movement of the plunger i42 after the latch member 98 has been retracted brings an upward projection I40 of the latch member into engagement with a wall I50 of the crosshead 84 and positively forces the crosshead 84, together with the insole holddown assembly, upwardly until the insole holddown fingers 80 have been disengaged from the upper, whereupon the spring I04 completes the return movement of the insole holddown assembly and brings the upper surface of the crosshead 84 into engagement with an abutment or collar I52 secured to the end portion of an extension I54 of the rod 90 on which slides the crosshead 84.

The construction of the last depressor 24 and the insole holddown assembly will now be described in detail with particular reference to Fig. 11. The last depressor 24 is illustrated as a presser foot which is mounted on the reduced lower portion of the rod 90. Its bottom face is horseshoe-shaped and has an outline corresponding generally to the forepart of the last bottom, and its hub I53 is provided with a socket for the reception of the rod 90. Extending radially from the hub I53 is a hollow boss I56 within which is mounted a compression spring I58. Extending through the spring and through a hole in the outer end wall of the boss I56 is a stem or plunger I60 against the headed inner end of which the spring I58 operates to force the end portion I62 of the plunger into a radial socket provided in the lower portion of the rod 60. The end portion of the plunger I60 projecting from the boss I56 is provided with a handle I64 to enable the operator to retract the plunger to permit the removal of the member 24 from the rod 90 and the substitution therefor of a like unit of a different size. It will be understood that the plunger I60 positions the depressor member 24 heightwise of the rod 90 and also orients it relatively to the toe end of the supported upper and relatively to the insole holddown fingers 80. The fingers 80 are mounted on a carrier member I66 which is generally horseshoe-shaped and slightly larger in periphery than the depressor member 24. The carrier member 166 has vertical grooves I68 in its outer edge face within which the holddown fingers are secured by clamping screws HG. Each of the holddown members 89 is curved outwardly at its lower end to provide a presser foot I72 and also to provide a concave lower portion H3 which permits the welted margin of the upper to be bent inwardly over the last bottom somewhat while the holddown fingers are still in engagement with the margin of the insole. The carrier member I66 has a hollow hub H8 which is mounted on a bushing Il5 mounted in a rearward extension I H of the arm 82 and extending downwardly therefrom. For removably securing the carrier I66 to the arm 82 the lower portion of said arm is provided with a horizontal socket which is arranged in radial relation to the rod 99 and has mounted therein a compression spring HE. A stem or plunger H8 extends through the spring llii and through a hole in the end wall of the socket. The spring H6 operates against the headed end of theplunger I18 and forces the end portion I85) of the plunger into a hole provided in the hub I'M of the carrier member. It will be understood that after the depressor member 2 5 is removed from the lower portion of the rod 951 the carrier member I66 may be removed from the arm 82 to permit the substitution of another insole holddown unit of a different size.

For supporting the rear part of the last and upper a clamp member or a pad H82 (Figs. 3 and 4) is mounted at the upper end of an arm 184 for frictional engagement with the upper at opposite sides of the back seam. The arm H86 is mounted on the cross shaft 44 for swinging movement toward and from the rear end of the upper and is advanced during the depression of the last into the upper by the cam'lever I31! which operates the last depressor. Said lever is secured to the shaft 64 and rocks the shaft to operate an arm 586 which is also secured to said shaft. The arm [85, in turn, has a yielding connection to the arm i234 whereby the pad E82 is first brought into engagement with the rear portion of the upper and then pressed firmly against the upper to hold the rear part of the upper and last against dislocation. For connecting the arm lat to the arm H34 a stem !88 is pivoted to the downturned end of the arm I86 and arranged to extend through a hollow screw I89 threaded into a tapped hole in a pivot block I96 swiveled between forward extensions I92 of the arm l84. Mounted on the stem E88 between its headed lower end and a washer 59 3 which abuts the screw I89 is a compression spring I96 which normally holds the headed end of the screw against a collar its at the upper end of the stem. The arms Hi and 435 swing as a unit until the pad 482 engages the rear portion of the upper and thereafter the arm E85 compresses the spring i% and causes the pad I82 to be pressed firmly against the rear part of the upper. The arm l8l may be adjusted to operate on diiferent sizes of shoes by turning the screw I89 to move the pivot block 59 lengthwise of the screw. It will be seen that the adjustment of the arm 986 does not vary the compression of the spring I98.

Referring now to the construction and arrangement of the gripper plates 25 which force the toe portion of th welted margin over upon the margin of the insole, and referring particularly to Figs. 12 and 13. said plates are secured in carriers 2i supported on a slide 2% which is supported on a base plate 2&2 screwed to a crosshead 204 (Fig. 13) of the machine frame. The slide 298 has tongue and groove connections to the base plate permitting rectilinear movement of the slide toward and from the toe end of the upper in the direction of the longitudinal median line of its forepart. The carriers 27 are mounted on an arcuate crosshead 296 at the forward end of the slide 26E], which crosshead lies in generally parallel relation to the periphery of the toe portion of the supported upper. Referring now to Fig. 15 illustrating one of the carriers 21 in detail, said carrier has an arcuate shank 2% having substantially the same curvature as the crosshead 2%, the carrier, togetherwith its shank being substantially the same in extent as the crosshead 206. The carrier is provided with two arcuate slots me which receive rolls 2V2 mounted on pins 2H3 projecting upwardly from opposite sides of the crosshead 206. That carrier 27, which is not illustrated in Fig. 15, differs from the one there shown only in that the shank portion of the carrier not shown extends to the right from its body portion and underlies the body portion and part of the shank of the other carrier (Fig. 14). As illustrated in Fig. 12, the slots 2! B in the carriers 21 are arranged in a common are and the pins 2L3 extend upwardly through the adjacent slots in the two carriers, each pin 283 having two rolls 2E2 (Fig. 13), one for each of the carriers. In the operation of the machine the gripper plates 26 move relatively to each other from their position in Fig. 12' to their position in Fig. 14 in an arcuate path determined by the slot and roll connections above described. This relative movement of the gripper plates 2t begins as the adjacent corners 2M of said plates engage the welt and the welt resists further advancement of the plates lengthwise of the supported upper. In this connection it should be noted that the gripper plates 26 are so constructed and arranged that their adjacent corners El i engage the welt of the supported upper while the remaining portions of the work-engaging edges of said plates are spaced away from the welt. The construction and arrangement of the slot and roll connections between the carriers 21 and the slide 200 is such that during the continued advancement of the slide after the adjacent corners N4 of the gripper plates 26 have engaged the welt, the plates move away from each other somewhat into their positions illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 12, and at'the same time they swing inwardly against the welt until at the limit of their advancement the work-engaging portions of the plates 26 are arranged substantially parallel to the edge of the last bottom, as shown in broken lines in Fig. 12. The movement of the plates away from each other prevents any puckering of the welt between them as they close on the upper. The gripper plates 26 are yiel-dingly held in their relative positions illustrated in Fig. 12 by a torsion spring 2I6 which is mounted on a headed pin 218 (Fig. 13) in the slide 2053 and has its ends arranged to enter openings 228 provided in the shank portions of the carriers 21, which openings communicate with holes 222. extending vertically through the shank portions of said carriers and providing clearance for the movements of the end portions of the spring. In order that the gripper plates 26 in their arcuate movements about the toe portion of the supported upper will not have to work against the full force of the torsion spring 2%, the force of said spring is balanced to a variable extent in the course of the operation of the gripper plates by tension springs 224 which extend from threaded slide rods 226 splined in bearings in the base plate 282 forwardly to swinging arms 228 which are pivoted at their outer ends to the base plate and have their inner ends constructed and arranged to bear against the end portions of the shanks 268 of the carriers 27. The threaded slide rods 226 are provided with stop nuts 238 which may be adjusted to vary the tension of the springs 224. When the slide 288 is in its position illustrated in Fig. 12 the springs 224 are substantially relaxed and the plates 28 are held in their retracted positions, illustrated in said figure, by the torsion spring 2H3, said positions being determined by the engagement of rolls 212 with the end walls of the grooves 2E8. As the slide 288 moves forwardly the arms 228 swing forwardly, progressively increasing the tension of the springs 224 which increasingly counteract the force of the torsion spring 216 so that the effective force of said spring on the adjacent corners 2M of the gripper plates 26 when said plates engage the welt is not sulficient to offer substantial resistance to the movement of said plates away from each other about the toe portion of the upper. Nevertheless the effective force of the torsion spring is at all times sufficient to hold the gripper plates 26 in their relative positions illustrated in Fig. 12 against the tension of the springs 224 until the adjacent corners 2M of said plates engage the welt. It should be noted, however, that the effective force of the torsion spring 2I6 depends upon the adjustment of the slide rods 226 to which the rear portions of the springs 224 are anchored and While the adjustment above described seems to be preferable, it is entirely conceivable that, under some circumstances, it might be desirable so to adjust the springs 224 that as the plates 26 engage the work the springs 224 overcome the force of the torsion spring H6 and actually force the gripper plates 26 away from each other to cause them to operate on the work. The illustrated mechanism for operating the gripper plates permits either plate to continue to advance after the other has been arrested by the welt. It will be understood that this independent movement of the plates enables them to operate on both right and left uppers without adjustment.

For advancing the slide 2100 a discoidal cam member 232 (Fig. 3) is secured to the rotor ill] by clamping bolts 233 and arranged to engage a roll 234 on a lever 236 which is fulcrumed at 238 and carries at its upper end a roll 248 constructed and arranged to engage a headed screw 242 projecting rearwardly from the end face of the slide 288 and held against the roll by a spring 244 (Fig. 13) operating on the slide.

For bending the sides of the forepart of the welted margin beyond the toe portion over the margin of the last bottom the illustrated machine is provided with welt-engaging gripper plates 248 (Figs. 12 and 16) and carriers 249 therefor which are slidably mounted in grooves 250 provided in forward extensions 262 of the base plate 282. The grooves 258 are so arranged that the gripper plates 248 move toward each other widthwise of the upper with a component of movement in the direction of the rear end of the upper which enables the gripper plates 248 to work the forepart of the upper toward the heel end of the last, thereby assisting in obviating the occurrence of wrinkles in the shaping of the forepart of the upper over the last. For operating the gripper plates 248 the rotor H8 carries two arcuate cam members 254 (Figs. 4 and 12) the outer side faces 256 of which are formed to provide cam surfaces for engagement with rolls 258 mounted in the rear portions of levers 268 which are journaled on headed studs 262 projecting upwardly from the base plate 262. Also mounted on the studs 262 are levers 264 the free ends of which have pin and slot connections ,to the outer ends of the carriers 246. The levers 264 are operated by connections from the levers 268 comprising stems 266 pivoted to the levers 268 and arranged to extend through hollow screws 268 which are mounted in tapped holes in pivot blocks 21!] carried in yo-kes 2'52 extending outwardly from the levers 264. Springs 214 surrounding the stems 263 provide connections between the headed ends of the stems and the hollow screws 268 whereby the levers 266 yieldingly operate the levers 264 to advance the carriers 246. The hollow screws 268 are positioned lengthwise of the stems 266 against collars 216 pinned to the free end portions of the stems.

It will be seen that by turning the hollow screws 268 the pivot blocks 218 may be adjusted lengthwise of the screws to adjust the gripper plates 248.

Simultaneously with the advancement of the plates 26 which bend the welted margin of the toe portion of the upper over the last bottom the spreader fingers 22 which engage the interior of the welted margin of the upper are retracted so as not to interfere with the operation of said plates. The spreader fingers are retracted by the spring 48 (Fig. 2) which operates on the treadle-operated lever 42 which brings the spreader fingers down into their operative position. The retraction of the spreader fingers occurs when the latch member 56 is disengaged from the roll 62 on the lever 42. This is effected by a cam 218 on the shaft 122.

Just before the welt-engaging gripper plates 26 come to the limit of their advancement the operation of the machine is arrested in order to permit the application to the shank portion of the supported upper of a retainer for holding that portion of the upper in against the last. As illustrated in Fig. 4 this retainer is a U- shaped spring clip 288 having inwardly extending terminal flanges which enter the angle between the welt and the upper and engage the welt seam to urge the welted margin of the upper at opposite sides of the shank inwardly against the last. For arresting the operation of the machine to permit the application of the clip to the supported upper the illustrated machine is provided with an L-shaped member 282 which is pivoted at its elbow on the shaft 58 and has at the end of its downwardly extending arm a projection 284 which engages a shoulder 286 provided in a disk 285 mounted on the shaft I22 and secured to the rotor I 28. For disengaging the member 282 from the disk in order to permit the operator to complete the operation of the machine the forwardly extending arm of the member 282 is provided with an upwardly extending stud 288 having at its upper end a pad 298 which is located in a convenient position for the operator to strike it to disengage the member 282 from the disk 285. A torsion spring 292 on the hub of the member 282 yieldingly holds the member in operative position, which position is determined by the engagement of a roll 294 on the member 282 with a raised margin 2% of the disk 285.

After the gripper plates 2t and 248 which operate on the welted margin of the upper have been completely advanced and before they have begun toretract, the work-supporting fingers 20 move downwardly to disengage the welt from the gripper plates 26 and 243 in order that said plates, as they retract, will not drag against the welt and tend to draw the welted margin outwardly. toward the edge of the last bottom. To this end the work-supporting fingers 20 are carried by a vertically swinging table 298 (Fig. 3) which is pivoted at 366 to forward extensions 30! of the machine frame- During the advancement of the welt-engaging plates the rear part of the table 298 is supported by the upper end of a plate 362 (Fig. 5) which is secured to a member or block 384 mounted for oscillating movement on the cross shaft 58 between extensions 306 of an arm 308 secured to the fixed shaft 238. After the welt-engaging plates 2t and 248 come to the limit of their advancement the block 304 is swung in a clockwise direction, as

i seen in Fig. 3, from its position in said figure to its position in Fig. 17, in which latter position the plate 3-92 is in alinement with an opening 3H3 provided in the table 298. The table 293 is now free to swing downwardly until its rear portion comes to rest against a resilient washer on a stop 352 on the arm 308. In order to insure the downward movement of the table 298 into engagement with the stop 2, a compression spring 314 is mounted on the upper portion of a headed t stud 3% extending upwardly from the arm 308 through a slot in the table 298, said spring being confined between the head of the stud and a washer 318 which rests on the upper surface of the table. For swinging the block 384 in a clockwise direction to bring the plate 302 into alineent with the opening 3m in the table the cam carrier 528 on the shaft I22 is provided with an upwardly extending arm 3253 having in its headed end a screw 322 which engages the lower portion of the block 38 and swings the block in a clockwise direction against the tension of a spring 324 anchored to a pin 325 on one of the extensions 3% of the arm 308. Said spring tends to hold the block in the position illustrated in Fig. 3. The operation of the block 394 by the screw is timed to occur just before the cam carrier tilt comes to the limit of its counterclockwise movement. The welt-engaging gripper plates during their advancement tend to dig into the welt and hold the upper and last against downward movement with the work-supporting assembly. In order to overcome this tendency and to insure downward movement of the upper and last away from the welt-engaging plates with the worksupporting assembly the last depressor 24 is moved downwardly simultaneously with, and to the same extent as, the table 298.

Referring now to the construction and arrangement of the work-supporting members 20, said members are the same in their general organization as the work-supporting members of the machine of the Robinson application above referred to but in certain particulars now to be described the organization of the work-supporting members of the illustrated machine are a departure from the Robinson machine. Referring to Fig. 5, those work-supporting members 20 at opposite sides of the toe portion of the upper are mounted on base plates 326 which are supported on the table 298. The base plates are pivoted on headed screws 328 projecting upwardly from the table and are adjustable about said screws to permit the work-supporting members to be moved toward or from each other to accommodate different sizes of uppers. The base plates are securedin adjusted position by headed clamping screws 338 which extend through slots 332 in the base plates and into tapped holes in the table. The work-supporting members are secured to the base plate 326 by clamping screws 33% which may be mounted in any one of a plurality of tapped holes 336 provided in the base plates, thus affording a further adjustment of the work-supporting plates. Those work-supporting plates 26 which engage the opposite sides of the ball portion of the upper are mounted on base plates 338 which are readily removable'from the machine. These plates will remain in the machine in operating on most sizes of shoes, but in operating on the smallest sizes they are not required, in fact they interfere somewhat with the positioning of the upper in the machine and hence their removal has been found to facilitate the operation or" the machine on small sizes of uppers' Each of the base plates 338 is providedwith an open-ended slot 346 in its inner margin and another open-ended slot 342 in its outer margin. When the plate is mounted in the machine a headed pin 344 extends through the slot 340 and a similar headed pin 3% extends through the slot 3 12 and the plate is yieldingly held in position on the table 298 by an invisible latch 348 (Fig. 6) which prevents accidental dislocation of the plate. The slot 346 is directed toward that work-supporting member 20 which engages the toe end of the upper while the slot 342 diverges relatively to the slot 320 and relatively to the longitudinal median line of an upper on the work supporting members. The arrangement of the slots 32F! and 342 is such that the plate may be positioned relatively to the headed pin 3% and then fulcrumed about said pin to position the outerportion of the plate against the pin 346. This. arrangement of the slots 3 32 and 342 permits the pins 324 and 346 to hold the plate 338 in position against any force which is normally applied to it in the operation of the machine. In fact, the mere presence of a last in an upper on the work-supporting members 28 prevents the plate 338 from swinging inwardly todisengage the plate from the pin 346. The work-supporting members on the base plates 338 are secured in position by clamping screws 3% which may be located in any one of a plurality of tapped holes 352 in the base plate, thus affording adequate adjustment of the work-supporting members for different sizes of shoes. of the work-supporting members at the sides of the upper widthwise of the machine within the range of separation of any two holes 336 and 352 in the base plates 326 and 338 respectively, the base portions of said work-supporting membersare provided with slots 354 through which extend the clamping screws 334 and 359;

During the return of the treadle me to its rest position the gripper plates 268 which engage the welt at opposite sides of the forepart of the upper are retracted by the operation of torsion springs 356 (Fig. 12) as the cam members 2256 move in a direction to permit the cam rolls 258 to move down the rises of the cam faces Soon after the gripper plates 243 begin their retraction, the toe gripper plates 26 are retracted by the expansion of the spring 2% (Fig. 13). During the latter part of the upward movementof the treadle I06 a spring 358 (Fig. '7) swings the cam lever I38 in clockwise direction as the cam roll I28 moves down the rise of the cam I24 and returns the last depressor 24 and the heel pad I82 to their rest portions, as shown in Fig. 7. During the latter part of the clockwise movement of the lever I30 a washer 368 mounted on the link I32 and supported by a nut 362 on said link engages the rear portion of the table 298 which carries the work-supporting members and swings the table upwardly into its position illustrated in Fig. '7. As the table comes to its rest position the plate 362 (Fig, 6) is returned to its rest position by the spring 324. In this position the plate 382 is arranged to hold the table against downward movement.

In the preferred operation of the machine an inverted prewelter upper, for example, the upper 364 (Fig. 4) is positioned on the upper-supporting fingers 28, the ends of said fingers engaging the adjacent surfaces of the welt and upper. The operator then depresses the treadle 48, thus bringing the spreader fingers 22 into engagement with the inner surface of the welted margin of the upper in which position they are held by the latch member 56 (Fig. 2). A. suitable last, for example the last 366 (Fig. 4), is then inserted heel-end foremost into the rear part of the upper and swung downwardly to bring its toe end to rest against the spreader fingers 22. The operator then depresses the treadle I06 which first operates through connections above described to move the last depressor 24 downwardly to force the forepart of the last into the forepart of the supported upper. As the last depressor approaches the limit of its downward movement the toe gripper plates 26 begin to advance. Before the plates 26 engage the welt and begin their work, and while the last depressor 24 is still moving downwardly to force the last into the upper, the gripper plates 248 which operate on the side portions of the upper, begin to advance. The plates 26 engage the welt and perform about half of their work before the side plates 248 engage the welt. This timing of the operation of the gripper plates enables the toe: plates 26 to work the toe portion of the welted margin rearwardly of the last without any danger of bunching or puckering the upper between the toe plates and the side plates. As the toe plates 26 begin to work the welted margin over the last bottom the latch 56, which holds the spreader fingers 22 in their operative positions, is released by the operation of the cam 218 (Fig. 2) ,whereupon the spring 48 returns the spreader fingers to their rest position. The return of the spreader fingers is timed to take effect as the downward movement of the last depressor 24 is arrested. The insole holddown fingers 88 move downwardly with the last depressor and hold the margin of the forepart of an insole against the last bottom until the welted margin of the upper has been partially advanced over the last bottom to the extent permitted by the concavities I13 (Fig. 11) of the holddown fingers. The crosshead 84 (Fig. 8) which carries the insole holddown assembly is then unlatched from the crosshead 92 which carries the depressor 24 by the operation of the cam l36 and the continued operation of said cam after releasing the latch 98 positively lifts the crosshead 84 to disengage the insole holddown fingers 88 from the welted margin of the upper, whereupon the spring I84 lifts the insole holddown assembly away from the last bottom and returns it to its rest position. During the first part of the upward movement of the insole holddown fingers the welted margin is gripped against the holddown fingers by the gripper plates 26 and 248, and the holddown fingers, sliding upwardly against the inner surface of the welted margin, tend to lift the welted margin away from the insole on the last bottom while the gripper plates continue to advance the welted margin in over the margin of the insole. This action of the insole holddown fingers prevents frictional engagement of the welted margin of the upper with the margin of the insole and thereby controls somewhat any tendency there might be for the welted margin to dislocate the margin of the insole during the continued advancement of the gripper plates after the holddown fingers have been lifted from the insole. It should be noted that the advancement of the gripper plates is nearly completed before the insole holddown fingers are lifted from the insole and the tendency of the welted margin to dislocate the insole during the latter part of its advancement after the holddown fingers have been lifted is relatively slight. After the insole holddown assembly has been disengaged from the last bottom and the welted margin of the upper, but before the operation of the gripper plates 26 and 246 on the welted margin of the upper has'been completed, the operation of the machine is arrested by the engagement oi the projection 284 (Fig. 4) of the L-shaped member 282 with the shoulder 286 of the disk 285. While the machine remains in this stopped position the clip 286 is applied to the shank portion of the upper. The operator then presses the pad 296 downwardly to disengage the member 282 from the disk 285 and further depresses the treadle I66 to complete the advancement of the gripper plates 26 and 248. After the advancement of the gripper plates had been completed the cam carrier I26 (Fig. 17) advances the screw 322 into engagement with the block 304 and swings the block in a clockwise direction to disengage the plate 362 from the bottom of the table 298 and to bring it into alinement with the opening 8H] in the table, whereupon the spring 3 I4 forces the table downwardly and simultaneously the last depressor moves downwardly to insure the disengagement of the welt from the gripper plates 26 and 248. The operator then permits the treadle I86 to return to its rest position and during its return movement the gripper plates 26 and 284 retract, the last depressor 24 moves upwardly into its rest position, the table 298 is elevated, and the heel pad I82 swings outwardly away from the rear part of the supported upper, leaving the upper on its last free to be removed from the work-supporting fingers 20.

The upper is retained on the last in pulledover position by the tension of the welt, which is substantially shorter than the periphery of the bottom of the last, without the aid of tacks or other fastenings to hold the upper in place. The clip 288 illustrated in Fig. 17 holds the welted margin at opposite sides of the shank portion of the upper in against the last and assists in retaining the upper in pulled-over position on the last. A method of shaping prewelted uppers over lasts, including the retention of the upper on the last by a welt which is shorter than the periphery of the last bottom is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,059,218, granted November 3, 1936, on an application of Karl Engel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In a shoe machine, work-supporting means, and upper-shaping members shaped to embrace an end portion of the upper and constructed and arranged to engage the lasting margin of the upper locally at adjacent points at thetoe end of the upper and to move inwardly over the toe end of the bottom of a last in the upper while simultaneously moving bodily away from each other.

2. In a shoe machine, work-supporting means, and a pair of end-embracing upper-shaping members the work-engaging edges of which have a curvature similar to the curvature of the edge of the end portion of a last whereon they operate, said members being constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin of an upper on the last and to move inwardly over the bottom of the last and also to move bodily away from the longitudinal median line of the upper to tension widthwise of the upper that portion of the lasting margin lying between them and to work inwardly over the last bottom the lasting margin about the end portion of the last.

3. In a shoe machine, work-supporting means, a pair of upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin at one end of a supported upper, means for first bringing said upper-shaping members into work-engaging position and thereafter advancing said members in curved paths about the end portion of the upper and away from the longitudinal median line of the upper, an actuator for said members, and connections from the actuator to the members including mechanism constructed and arranged to permit either of said members to continue its movement into work-engaging position independently of the other.

4. In a shoe machine, upper-shaping means constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin of an end portion of an upper and to move inwardly over the bottom of a last in the upper while simultaneouslymoving away from each other to tension the lasting margin of the upper between said members, and upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to act on opposite side portions of the lasting margin adjacent to the end-engaging members.

5. In a shoe machine, upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin of an end portion of an upper and to move inwardly over the bottom of a last in the upper while simultaneously moving away from each other in curved paths extending about the end portion of the upper, and upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin at opposite sides of the upper adjacent to the end-engaging members and to move-inwardly over the last bottom and lengthwise of the last away from said end portion of the upper.

6. In a shoe machine, upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin of an end portion of an upper and to move inwardly over the bottom of a last in the upper while simultaneously moving away from each other in curved paths extending about'the end portion of the upper, upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin at opposite sides of the upper adjacent to the end-engaging members, and means for directing the operating movements of said lastnamed members in rectilinear paths extending toward the upper and away from the end-engaging members.

'7. In a shoe machine, upper-shaping means constructed and arranged to act on the lasting margin of an end portion of an upper and to move inwardly over the bottom of a last in the upper while simultaneously moving away from each other, upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to act on opposite side portions of the lasting margin adjacent to the end-engaging members, and automatic means for first operating the end-engaging members and thereafter operating the side-engaging members.

8. In a shoe machine, a pair of end-embracing upper-shaping members the work-engaging edges of which have the general shape of an end portion of an upper and are constructed and arranged to engage the lasting margin of the upper locally at adjacent points at the toe end of the upper and to move inwardly over the bottom of, a last in the upper while simultaneously moving away from each other, a carrier for said upper-shaping members, and yielding connections between the members and the carrier constructed and arranged to permit the members to yield independently of each other in response to the resistance of the work to the advancement of the members by the carrier. I

9. In a shoe machine, a pair of end-embracing lasting plates the work-engaging edges of which have the general shape of an end portion of an upper and are constructed and arranged to engage the lasting margin of theupper locally at adjacent points at the toe end of the upper and to move inwardly over the bottom of a last in the upper while simultaneously moving away from each other, a carrier for said lastingplates constructed and arranged for rectilinear movement toward and from one end of the upper, said plates being mounted on the carrier for independent movements relatively to the carrier toward and from each other in curved paths extending about said end portion of the upper in the machine, and yielding means whereby said plates are held at the limit of their movement toward each other on the carrier, said yielding means being constructed and arranged to permit the plates to move independently of each other about said end portion of the upper in response to the resistance of the upper to the advancement of the plates by the carrier.

10. In a shoe machine, work-supporting means, a pairv of upper-shaping plates, the work-engaging edges of which have the general shape of one end of a supported upper, a carrier for-said plates movable to advance said plates from a remote position into engagement with the upper, connections between the plates and the carrier affording provision for movement of said plates toward and from each other in an arcuate path generally concentric to the end portion of the upper, and yielding means for holding said plates at the limit of their movement toward each other, said plates being provided with upper-engaging edges which are so constructed and arranged that their adjacent extremities first engage the upper and cause the plates to move from each other to bring them into engagement with the upper throughout the entire extent of their upper-engaging edges.

11. In a shoe machine, work-supporting means, a pair of upper-shaping plates constructed and arranged to act on one end of a supported upper, a carrier for said plates movable to advance said plates from a remote position into engagement with the work, connections between the plates and the carrier affording provision for movement of said plates toward and from each'other in an arcuate path generally concentric to the end por-' tion of the upper, yielding means for holding said plates at the limit of their movement toward each other, said plates being provided with work-engaging edges which are so constructed and arranged that their adjacent extremities first engage the work and cause the plates to swing to bring them into engagement with the work throughout the entire extent of their work-engaging edges, and yielding connections between the carrier and said plates for urging said plates to move away from each other.

12. In a shoe machine, work-supporting means, a pair of upper-shaping plates constructed and arranged to act on one end of a supported upper, a carrier for said plates, connections between the carrier and said plates constructed and arranged to permit movement of the plates toward and from each other in an arcuate path generally concentric to that end portion of the upper on which said plates operate, a spring on the carrier for yieldingly holding said plates at the limit of their movement toward each other, and means for counteracting the, force of said spring in order to facilitate movement of said plates away from each other, said plates being so constructed and arranged that the adjacent ends of their workengaging edges engage the work and cause said plates to swing in response to the resistance of the work to their advancement thereby bringing them into engagement with the work throughout the entire extent of their work-engaging edges.

13. In a shoe machine, work-supporting means, a pair of upper-shaping plates constructed and arranged to act on one end of a supported upper, a carrier for said plates, connections between the carrier and said plates constructed and arranged to permit movement of the plates toward and from each other in an arcuate path generally concentric to that end portion of the upper on which said plates operate, a spring on the carrier for yieldingly holdingsaid plates at the limit of their movement toward each other, and a pair of springs on the carrier which operate to counterbalance the force of the first-mentioned spring.

14. In a prewelt shoe machine, means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper by engagement with the upper-attaching face of the welt, upper-shaping members constructed and arranged to engage the sole-attaching face of the welt and to work the welted margin over a last in the upper, means for operating said uppershaping members, and means for moving the upper-supporting means downwardly in predetermined time relation to the operation of said upper-shaping members thereby to disengage the upper from said upper-shaping members before they are retracted.

15. In a prewelt shoe machine, means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper by engagement with the upper-attaching face of the welt, upper-shaping plates constructed and arranged to engage the sole-attaching face of the welt and to work the welted margin over a last in the upper, means for operating said upper-shaping plates, means for moving the upper-supporting means downwardly in predetermined time relation to the operation of said upper-shaping plates thereby to disengage the upper from said plates before the plates are retracted, and means for positively moving the work downwardly with the work-supporting assembly.

16. In a prewelt shoe machine, means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper by engagement with the upper-attaching face of the welt,

upper-shaping plates constructed and arranged to engage the sole-attaching face of the welt, means for operating said upper-shaping plates, means for moving the upper-supporting assembly downwardly in predetermined time relation to the operation of said upper-shaping plates thereby to disengage the upper from said plates before the plates are retracted, a depressor constructed and arranged to act on a last in the upper, and means for operating the depressor during the downward movement of the upper-supporting assembly to insure the disengagement of the work from said plates.

17. In a prewelt shoe machine, means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper by engagement with the upper-attaching face of the welt, a table on which the upper-supporting means is mounted, said table being mounted for swinging movement up and down to vary the elevation of the upper-supporting means, a latch for supporting the free end portion of said table with the supported upper in position to be operated upon, means operating at a predetermined time in the machine cycle to disengage said latch from the table, and means for moving the table downwardly to move the supported upper away from operating parts of the machine.

18. In a prewelt shoe machine, means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper by engagement with the upper-attaching face of the welt, a table on which the upper-supporting means is mounted, said table being mounted for swinging movement up and down to vary the elevation of the upper-supporting means, a latch for supporting the free end portion of said table with the supported upper in position to be operated upon, means operating at a predetermined time in the machine cycle to disengage said latch from the table, means for moving the table downwardly to move the supported upper away from operating parts of the machine, and means operating thereafter to return the table to its upper position.

19. In a prewelt shoe machine, the combination with means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper, a depressor for forcing a last into the upper, and an insole holddown for preventing disengagement of an insole from the last bottom during the depression of the last into the upper, of a carrier for the depressor, another carrier for the holddown, a latch for holding the insole holddown carrier against upward movement relatively to the depressor carrier, and means for first unlatching the insole holddown carrier from the depressor carrier and thereafter moving the former relatively to the latter to move the insole holddown upwardly away from the supported shoe.

20. In a prewelt shoe machine, the combination with means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper, a depressor for forcing a last into the upper, and an insole holddown for preventing disengagement of an insole from the last bottom during the depression of the last into the upper, of a carrier for the depressor, another carrier for the holddown, a latch for holding the insole hold down carrier against upward movement relatively to the depressor carrier, and automatically operated means for unlatching the insole holddown carrier from the depressor carrier and thereafter positively moving the former relatively to the latter to move the insole holddown upwardly away from the supported shoe.

21. In a prewelt shoe machine, the combination with means for supporting an inverted prewelted upper and a depressor for forcing a last into the 

